San Bernardino police were searching Thursday for two women accused of identity theft when an employee at a Temecula auto dealership recognized a picture on The Sun website of Monique Martinez and called to say she had been in the dealership Wednesday night trying to purchase a $34,000 automobile.

The employee said Martinez, a San Bernardino resident, was expected to return to finish the vehicle purchase, San Bernardino police Sgt. Travis Walker said.

Detectives drove to the dealership and arrested Martinez when she arrived. She was booked into West Valley Detention Center in Rancho Cucamonga on suspicion of burglary, identity theft, forgery and possession of stolen property.

Police said Martinez, 27, and her alleged accomplice, Norra Bannatt Mokhtar, 31, also of San Bernardino, were arrested earlier this year after the two had allegedly purchased new vehicles from dealerships using forged identification.

In February, police said, Martinez assumed another person's identity and went to a Fontana auto dealership where she purchased a $39,000 pickup truck. She also purchased a $40,000 Mercedes automobile from a Riverside County dealership, police said.

She was arrested Feb. 8, after reportedly attempting to purchase a $20,000 motorcycle from Chaparral Motorsports at 555 S. H St. in San Bernardino.

Police said Mokhtar was arrested on March 12 in a stolen vehicle. Several fake California driver's licenses reportedly were found in the car with Martinez's picture and different names printed on them. Several articles of stolen mail and other items commonly used for identity theft were also recovered at the time of her arrest, police said.

The two women posted bail after their initial arrests.

On April 2, San Bernardino police detectives served search warrants at Martinez's and Mokhtar's residences. Evidence of identity theft, tax fraud, methamphetamine and equipment used to make fraudulent credit cards reportedly were found.

Detectives are working to identify hundreds of potential victims, police said.Anyone with knowledge of Mokhtar's whereabouts is asked to call police Sgt. Travis Walker at 909-384-5642.- doug.saunders@ inlandnewspapers.com